Brendan Rodgers’ pulling power could come to the fore again as Celtic aim to fight off Everton and Liverpool for Oxford United’s Marvin Johnson.
It’s fair to say Celtic won’t have it easy if they try and sign Oxford United winger Marvin Johnson this summer. According to the Scottish Sun, they were one of 30 clubs watching on as the wideman opened the scoring in March’s 5-1 thrashing of League One rivals Bury.
The newspaper adds that Oxford rejected a bid of £1 million from an unnamed Championship club in January for the 26-year-old, while his excellent form since the turn of the year means his value as rocketed further.
Therefore, Celtic must be concerned that Johnson will soon be out of their reach. Especially with the Daily Mail suggesting that Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton are the latest sides to send scouts to the Kassam Stadium this season.
Celtic are unlikely to compete with the high wages on offer in the Premier League but Brendan Rodgers could yet play a decisive role in this ongoing transfer saga.
Big-time Brendan
The Northern Irishman is a genuinely high-profile manager and has already shown since moving to Celtic Park that he can attract big names to the Scottish Premiership.
Scott Sinclair, the former Manchester City, Aston Villa and West Brom winger, admitted that the prospect of working under Rodgers and getting his stalling career back on track was a major reason why he signed for Celtic last summer, as reported by The Scotsman.
He’s now a league champion and the division’s top scorer.
Rodgers, then, will need to use all that charm to entice former Motherwell winger Johnson back to Scotland.
Marvellous Marvin
A natural winger, the late-bloomer has starred in an unfamiliar left-back role this season, meaning Celtic may have identified him as a younger alternative to the out-of-contract Emilio Izaguirre.
Though Rodgers’ old employers Liverpool, who have used James Milner at left-back all season due to doubts about the defensive ability of Alberto Moreno, are unlikely to make it easy. Few supporters will be too excited by the club attempting to solve their problem position with a 26-year-old from League One but, clearly, Johnson has the ability to play at a higher level.
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